doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com High vs. Low

I spent much of my time while driving 300 miles home from a match today debating whether to post this note or not. I decided I would in the interest of letting others make their own, better informed, decisions.

But before I tell you the details, go to pages 119 and 120 of Michael's first book and put a big red X through those three photos. They, and the photos of that same rifle buried deep in the archives of this forum, are all that will ever be seen of that rifle again.

I bought the rifle from Amoskeag when Petrov's collection went up for sale. Yesterday, it blew up. It is now in about 1.5 million pieces, two of which I'm still lugging around. That gun is (was) a "low" number Rock Island rifle. I shot it because I believed Michael when he said these rifles were safe and because he actually shot it, and posted photos of it at the range, with targets and a load recipe (4895 as I recall).

I loaded it with 28 gr of 5477 and a 311284 GC bullet (Lyman #2 or similar alloy). Lyman lists the pressure from this beginning load at 30,300 PSI. I had shot 100 rounds of that load through the gun last year and another 18 yesterday when it let go.

I checked the primers on the spent cases and they all looked normal. All of the remaining rounds (~80) weigh within a few grains of each other due to variance in brass and bullets.

56 grs of 5744 will fit in the case, but it fills it to the middle of the shoulder. I feel it is pretty unlikely that I would have failed to notice.

Every charge was weighed, dumped in a case, bullet seated and crimped before the next charge was measured. It is not absolutely impossible that I double charged one case, but I feel it is extremely unlikely.

I will not post pictures of the rifle because I hate what happens to these rifle-blow-up threads and how the picts fly around the internet, but it suffices to say, the barrel was absolutely intact, unbulged, and clear. The case, except for the head, was still in the chamber.

The action, however, was in gazillions of pieces, some of which were found 30 yds away. There was only one piece of the receiver ring that I noticed in the pile. Two holes were blown in the tin roof over the firing line, and I got a few pieces of shrapnel (brass mostly) in the face. Two pieces of unknown metal remain at the moment. The stock is kindling, though the carvings behind the grip are fine.

All that is salvageable from the rifle is the Lyman long-stem receiver sight, the butt and grip caps, and maybe the sling swivels.

I was wearing Randolph Edge shooting glasses. Dirt Cheap protection at $300. The frames are still fine. New lenses will be needed. Can't recommend them highly enough.

I'll be fine, but it did manage to ruin my match this weekend (17 hrs in ERs watching other people a hell of a lot worse off, will do that to your weekend), and I was shooting well (BPCR).

I encourage you to take a good look at Michael's picts of this rifle on the forum. They are, for some reason, hard to find, but google the site for Steve Meunier and you will find at least a few of them.

Make your own decisions guys, but now you have another datum.

Brent


PS. Ironically, Cabela's delivered 150 new Winchester cases to my door on Saturday. Any one interested in .30-06 brass and dies? I'm fresh out of that caliber. Doubt I'll ever go back.